A KuroFai XMas Special!
by You.Can't.Hear.Me.Screaming
Summary: DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN TSUBASA: TOKYO REVELATIONS OR TSUBASA: SHUNRAIKI! The group has arrived in Piffle World once again, but this time, it's snowing...Tomoyo explains that it's Christmas time and the group wants to celebrate...
1. Chapter 1

**KuroFai X-Mas Special**

**(A.N: ****WARNING: PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEE TSUBASA: TOKYO REVELATIONS, OR TSUBASA: SHUNRAIKI!!! THIS IS A SPOILER ALERT!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!**** Alright, so I decided that I was going to write an x-mas special, for the pairing KuroFai. However, I was only intending for it to be a oneshot…And that didn't happen. -Sweatdrop- See once I started writing it, I couldn't STOP…And it ended up longer than I originally planned…But, that just means more for you guys, right? Dashes are scene changes, or time passing!!!)**

"_Alright. I understand," Mokona answered. Yuuko smiled,_

"_Good."_

**--**

The group had fallen from the sky once again. As they took in their surroundings, they weren't too surprised to see that there were people all around them, however, what did surprise them was…

"It's snowing…" Fai murmured. He carefully got to his feet - he knew how slippery the ground could get when there was snow involved. There was likely ice around as well. He watched the flakes as they floated down towards the ground, while the rest of his friends got to their feet.

"Are you alright, Princess?" Syaoran asked, looking over to Sakura. She faced him and nodded, smiling. She then turned her green eyed gaze to the small, rabbit-like creature in her arms,

"Mokona? Are you okay?" He nodded and looked around at the snow.

"What about you, Kurogane?" Syaoran asked, looking over to the samurai.

"I'm fine." Kurogane had gotten to his feet and was turning his attention to his blonde companion; Fai. He wasn't entirely sure how he should feel about snow. Asides from the fact that it was cold and wet, it also reminded him of something. _Celes; _the land Fai was practically _raised_ in. The same world that had disappeared, and nearly taken all of their lives along with it…After Kurogane had killed Ashura.

"Something wrong, Kuro-puu?"

That familiar voice pulled him from his reverie. The raven blinked before he focused his red eyes on the amber eyed, slender bodied, _beautiful_ Fai…

"It's nothing," Kurogane answered, shrugging.

"Then, maybe we should get a move on. I think the others are waiting for us."

The tan male turned his attention to Syaoran, Sakura and Mokona. Sakura looked patient enough, but Syaoran's smile was a bit sheepish. He'd been caught seeming impatient, by Fai, of all people. And Kurogane could tell now that he was embarrassed by this fact.

"Lead the way kid," the raven told him, brushing some snow off of himself, as he waited for Fai to reach him. He wouldn't openly admit that he was waiting for the blonde. He would just _stall. _Syaoran nodded, and turned around, he began walking in the direction that he felt they should go. Fai reached Kurogane,

"Shall we go, _big dog_?"

"It's Kurogane," he growled in response, as he took a step forwards. The blonde followed, that big, fake smile of his plastered onto his face.

"Now Kergs, no need to be so cold," Fai teased.

"Whatever. Stupid mage."

The two stopped behind Syaoran and Sakura, who were no longer walking.

"Is something wrong?" Fai questioned, his eye still closed.

"I thought this place looked familiar," Syaoran's voice answered from somewhere in front of him. He sounded kind of _amused. _The blonde opened his eye and took in the buildings around him. Moving his head to the left, he got to see more of what was going on. He smiled.

_Piffle World._

"Sakura!" An excited, familiar voice called out. Before the poor girl could respond, two arms wrapped themselves around her, and she _nearly_ lost her balance. Confused, she looked over to see who had nearly knocked her off of her feet in the hugging attack.

"Tomoyo?"

"Sakura! I didn't know you and your friends were coming back!" Tomoyo looked around at all of the familiar faces. The archeologist; Syaoran, and little, white, rabbit-like creature; Mokona…The samurai; Kurogane, and the wizard; Fai. Releasing Sakura, she kept her gaze on the raven and the blonde. They were so _different _from the last time she had seen them…

Realizing that she was staring, she looked to Sakura once more,

"Do you and your friends have a place to stay?"

"Well…No, not really…" Sakura answered, unsure of why she was now the spokesperson for her group.

"Wonderful! Then you can come and stay with me!"

Everyone looked to Tomoyo, surprised.

"Do you not want to?" Tomoyo questioned, slightly worried when she saw their expressions.

"That's not it at all!" Sakura announced,

"You just took us off guard."

"We're very grateful for your offer," Syaoran agreed.

**--**

"Wow…It's so _pretty_…" Sakura breathed, stepping into the living room of Tomoyo's seemingly endless house. There was a large tree near the window. She knew that it couldn't be a _real_ tree, because it was white. The branches and bristles…All of it. And there was a string of lights coiling its way down and around the tree, but they currently weren't turned on. There were also boxes full of ornaments that all seemed to be separated by colour, spread out along one of the couches.

She turned her attention to the right of the tree. A fireplace, which was currently not lit. But, hanging in the center of it, was a red stocking, with white trim. In white lettering -near the bottom- it read: _Tomoyo. _There was also a coffee table situated in front of the couch that was facing the fireplace. On it, there were a few plants, by what Sakura could see. Green plants, tied at the stems with red ribbon…And amongst the base of their leaves, there appeared to be little white ball shapes…

Sakura wasn't the only one marveling at the scene before her. Her friends were quite fascinated as well. She could hear Syaoran's little gasp of surprise, as well as Kurogane's grunt. Fai was also somewhere beside her, commenting on how pretty everything looked. Mokona seemed to agree, because he still hadn't calmed down.

"It's not done yet," Tomoyo's voice spoke up from in front of the group, and she turned to face them. She almost looked embarrassed,

"I _was_ going to get out a ladder to get the top decorations done…But, the ladder is a bit of a hassle to get out…"

"Kuro-puu could help you with the higher up decorations!" Fai volunteered the male, still smiling.

"Hey! Would you stop _volunteering_ me for everything?!" Kurogane hollered, glaring at the blonde.

"But Kergs, don't you want to help Tomoyo? She's being kind enough to give us her hospitality after all," Fai reminded him, in an almost _chiding_ voice.

The raven grumbled something unintelligible and kept his scowl focused on the blonde.

"Well, I see _some_ things haven't changed since the last time I saw the two of you," Tomoyo announced, a small giggle escaping her lips. Kurogane let out an exasperated sigh. Fai smiled, feigning his happiness once again.

"I'm sorry," Tomoyo told them, still smiling,

"Why don't you all come in and make yourselves comfortable."

Sakura put Mokona down on the floor, gently, before she erected her body once more. She was removing her hooded cape, and went to hang it up on an open hook. The others followed suit, and Kurogane also removed the armor that framed his face, and placed it on the floor, along with his sword. Once everyone had removed their coats and capes, they wandered into the living room. Mokona had taken a new position on Tomoyo's shoulder.

"Tomoyo, what're those?" Mokona questioned, pointing to the plants on the coffee table.

"That's called mistletoe."

"What does it do?" The little creature wondered. He'd never seen mistletoe before.

"Well…How do I explain?" Tomoyo pondered aloud. She was trying to think of a way to make it understandable. Syaoran and Sakura sat down on one of the couches, side by side. Fai sat down on one of the cushions of one of the couches, which was positioned across from the tree. His seat was near the fireplace. As he sat down, he made sure his back was facing the armrest. He folded his left leg at the knee, and allowed his right leg to hang down off the couch. Kurogane sat on the cushion next to Fai's. He looked over to the blonde, and arched a brow at his sitting position. He hadn't expected him to be facing him directly as he sat down.

"This way," Fai answered the unspoken question, looking to the raven. Everyone had turned their attention to see what he was referring to.

"If I sit this way," he corrected himself,

"I can see everyone." As if to prove his point, he allowed his gaze to flow over the others in the room. Sakura smiled a sad little smile.

"Fai…" Mokona said gently, hopping over to the male. Fai gladly took the creature into one of his arms. He always enjoyed Mokona's company. He was such a cheerful little creature…

"I'm sorry, I've interrupted you," Fai apologized, looking to Tomoyo.

She shook her head from side to side, gently,

"Not at all. I was just trying to think of a way to explain all of this," she gestured to the decorations.

"Is it some kind of celebration?" Syaoran questioned, trying to be helpful.

"Sort of like that, yeah. It's a holiday, to be more exact. _Christmas._"

"Christmas?" Sakura echoed the name.

"Mm. It's a very special holiday! Every year, on December the 25th, Christmas is celebrated. People go out and sing carols…You hang stockings by the fireplace, and decorate a Christmas tree! You buy your loved ones gifts…And wrap them up, and then you place them under the tree, so that they can be opened on Christmas day! Children are told tales of a man called Santa Claus, who is supposed be the ones bringing the gifts, and filling the stockings."

"Mokona likes the sound of Christmas! It sounds so happy!"

"Indeed it does little one," Fai agreed, smiling down at his tiny companion.

"And you're all just on time," Tomoyo added,

"You can celebrate Christmas with me!"

"Yay! Mokona likes Christmas! Mokona likes Christmas!" He announced, squirming about happily.

"I have extra stockings…I'll put your names onto them, just like I did with mine!" Tomoyo added.

"Yay! But…" Mokona paused, looking back to the mistletoe on the table,

"Mokona still doesn't understand…What is mistletoe?"

"Well, it's…" Tomoyo picked up one of the plants, holding it up where it was tied together with ribbon,

"It's also a Christmas tradition. You see, you hang it around the house, like this," she held it up over Fai's head. The blonde looked up at it, curious.

"And then, whenever two people are under the mistletoe at the same time…They have to kiss."

Fai's eye grew, and he looked away. Mokona didn't skip a beat. He hopped up onto Fai's shoulder, and kissed his cheek.

"Mistletoe kisses for Fai!" He exclaimed.

Fai laughed,

"Thank you, Mokona."

Tomoyo giggled, and returned the mistletoe to the table. She then looked around to everyone,

"Can I get you all something to drink? I have milk, water, coffee, tea, soda…Or I have holiday specials! Hot chocolate, and eggnog!"

"I've never heard of that," Syaoran spoke up from beside Sakura.

"Neither have I," Kurogane's voice sounded from his position next to Fai.

"Hmm…Well, hot chocolate is a drink that really warms you up. And it has a chocolate taste to it. Eggnog is…How do I explain that? Hmm…It's a rather sweet, cold, thick drink." Tomoyo scanned their faces once again,

"So, is anyone thirsty?"

"I'll try some hot chocolate," Sakura spoke gently.

"I'd like to as well, if it's not too much trouble," Syaoran agreed. Tomoyo nodded, and turned her attention to Kurogane and Fai.

Kurogane nodded,

"I'm not a big fan of sweet things, but I guess I'll try it."

"I don't know if I'll actually taste it, or not," Fai murmured,

"But, it's worth a shot."

Tomoyo looked confused, but, before she could ask, Mokona hopped up and down,

"Mokona too! Mokona too!"

"Alright. Oh! I almost forgot! You must all be _starving! _Do you want something to eat? I'll make something…"

"I'll help you with that," Sakura volunteered, standing up.

"You're so _thoughtful, _Sakura! Hm…I should make some stew…It's good for serving groups of people, and it's nice and hot. It'll warm you all right up! Is that okay with everyone?" Syaoran and Kurogane both nodded, and Mokona hopped up and down chanting 'stew.' Fai didn't bother with answering. Tomoyo looked over to him once again,

"Fai?"

He met her gaze,

"I won't be needing anything to eat. But, thank you for offering."

"You…Don't eat?"

"Well, not exactly. I guess you could say I'm on a bit of _strict diet._"

"A diet? But you're so _slender_…" She poked at his side for emphasis. Fai smiled, closing his eye.

"Fai doesn't mean a diet for losing weight," Mokona spoke up on the blondes behalf,

"He means that he doesn't usually eat what everyone else does."

"Speaking of which," Kurogane spoke now, his red eyes boring into the blonde,

"When did you last eat?"

"I'll assure you now that I'm not hungry. I'll be fine for a few more _hours, _at least," the blonde answered. But when he didn't feel the samurai relenting, he opened his amber eye, and focused it on the raven.

"You see? My pupil is just fine. I'm not hungry."

Kurogane waited a moment longer, before he finally seemed satisfied with Fai's state. Tomoyo watched the scene unfold before her, curious. _She didn't ask. _She simply turned her attention to Sakura, who nodded.

**--**

Sensing that Kurogane and Fai wanted to have a private conversation, Syaoran stood up. Mokona hopped over to the brunette, and the two wandered over to the kitchen. Kurogane set his glare on Fai. The blonde had closed his eye again, and wore that stupid smile of his.

"Something wrong?" Fai questioned, feeling the gaze burning into him.

"You'll tell me," the raven instructed,

"When you need to…Well, you know."

Fai opened his amber eye and gazed at the raven before him. _Kurogane. _Why did he always have to be so thoughtful when it came down to the blonde? Although Fai secretly treasured every moment where _he_ was all Kurogane was thinking about, he would never openly admit it.

"Thanks Kergs. But I'm fine for now, I promise."

Kurogane nodded silently.

"Here," Syaoran's voice caught them off guard, and they looked to the brunette, who had reappeared,

"Careful, they're hot." He handed one cup to Kurogane, and the other to Fai, before he headed back towards the kitchen.

"He's a good kid," Fai commented, watching the brunette go. He turned his attention to his hot chocolate, and blew on it, watching the steam rise in a small, thin cloud.

"Yeah," Kurogane agreed.

When Fai felt he'd waited long enough, he put the cup to his lips, and allowed himself to take a small drink. He needed to know if he'd actually be able to _taste_ anything…

**--**

"I already know about what happened with Kurogane's arm," Tomoyo told them quietly,

"But Fai's eyes…I'm afraid that I don't quite understand…"

Syaoran and Sakura exchanged a glance.

"It's a bit of a long story," Syaoran spoke up.

"Well…Dinner is going to take a while."

"…The Syaoran that you met last time…Was a clone, of myself."

"Same for the Sakura that was here last time," Sakura added in softly.

"We were in a world called Tokyo, when I came back. And by that time, the clone Syaoran had already done his damage. He took Fai's eye, and made it his own. When he was finally gone, everyone worried about Fai…He was in a really terrible condition."

"I remember…Kurogane didn't let go of Fai, not once," Mokona's voice was just a whisper.

"There were pure blooded vampires there, at the same time that we were there. _Twins. _Through Yuuko, the dimensional witch, an exchange was made," Syaoran paused,

"Kurogane wanted Fai to live. There was one way to do that…And so he and Kamui - one of the twins - cut their arms. When Kamui's blood mixed with Kurogane's, it fell to Fai's mouth."

"To stay alive, Fai had to become a vampire," Sakura whispered.

"And Kurogane, his prey," Syaoran added, his voice now nothing more than a whisper.

Tomoyo was amazed, and it showed. She had stopped cutting the vegetables that she'd been working on, and had put the knife down.

"So, his _strict diet_…"

"Is Kurogane's blood," Syaoran finished for her.

"And when Kurogane lost his arm?"

"That was in _Celes_…Fai had cursed his arm, because the King of that world - Ashura - was dangerous. When Ashura was killed…A curse that had been made on Fai, caused the world to start crumbling," Syaoran paused again, and when he spoke this time, his voice showed his admiration,

"But Fai wasn't going to give up on us. He used his magic, to try to save us."

"Mokona had a dream, where the other Mokona told me to have my earring taken off!" Mokona added.

Syaoran nodded,

"That caused a yellow light to shine down to Kurogane and Fai…But the light cast Fai out, because Kurogane's arm was cursed."

"Kuro-puu cut off _his arm _for _me_," a voice spoke from the open doorway that lead into the kitchen.

"_Fai!" _Mokona exclaimed.

"…He cut off his arm, in exchange for my life. When we returned to Nihon, I was the one who gave away my magic, as the price for his new arm. My magic lied within the blue colouring of my eyes, which explains why they're amber now."

"Fai…" Sakura said the name with sadness.

"We sacrificed, for each other. But of course, he gave up a lot _more_ than I did," Fai's eye was sad, and so was his smile,

"So now you understand…Why Kuro-puu and I are usually _together_."

As if to prove this point, Kurogane stepped into view from the left side of the open doorway. Sakura smiled upon seeing them practically side by side. That was Kurogane and Fai for you. They were always together…In _everything_ that they did.

**--**

"Kurogane should do red, because he's the tallest, which means that Fai can do orange, because he's next when it comes down to height. Syaoran gets yellow, and Sakura gets green. I'll take blue, and Mokona can help me with purple," Tomoyo instructed, pointing to the ornaments.

"Mokona gets to help! Mokona gets to help!" The small creature cried out in excitement.

"Might I ask, Tomoyo…Why are there so many colours?" Fai was curious.

"Well, because when we're done decorating, they'll make a rainbow down the tree!" Tomoyo answered with a smile. She then added,

"But I suppose I should explain why I want it to be a rainbow."

When she was met with interested gazes, she walked over to the fireplace. Carefully, she lifted a framed picture from the top of said fireplace, and held it up for everyone to see. In it, there was a rainbow flag, and tons of people were holding it up. Among the front of the group, was Tomoyo.

"A rainbow is often used to represent pride."

"Pride?" Syaoran questioned.

"Mm. You see…The people I walked with that day…They have been fighting for equality for a long, _long_ time. And carrying the flag was like them carrying their victory."

"Victory?" It was Sakura's turn to question Tomoyo.

"Mm. Because it's not just _any_ pride. It's the same sex couple symbol, the rainbow is."

"Same sex couple?" Sakura was curious.

"Like Kuro-puu and Fai?" Mokona asked, delighted.

"What did you say furball?!" Kurogane hollered, clearly annoyed.

"Kuro-puu is angry! Syaoran, save me!" Mokona cried out, hopping over to the brunette boy.

The raven was still fuming as he glared at Mokona. Fai tried to be the calming one,

"Now Kergs, he's only teasing you, you shouldn't take offence to anything he says."

"What's offensive about it?" Mokona wondered aloud.

"Aren't you two a couple?" Tomoyo questioned.

"Us?" Fai looked to Kurogane, and then back to Tomoyo.

"ARE YOU _KIDDING_ ME?!" Kurogane was furious. Damn Mokona and his assumptions…And now Tomoyo thought they were…

Sakura giggled from beside Syaoran,

"I guess I can understand where you would get that assumption. Kurogane and Fai _are_ always together…And they've given up a lot, just to keep one another alive…"

"Kuro-puu is Daddy, and Fai is Mommy," Mokona added.

It was Tomoyo's turn to giggle,

"You know, now that you mention it…Fai _is_ rather…Feminine…"

Fai didn't seem to know how to react to all of this. His eye took on a rather somber, far away look. Kurogane noticed. Even though he'd been preoccupied with glaring daggers at his friends, when he'd turned his head to see how the blonde was reacting…

"Ooi."

Fai looked up and over to the male,

"What is it Kuro-puu?"

Kurogane didn't speak. He just studied the blondes amber eye. His pupil was still round, so he knew Fai wasn't hungry - _yet. _Where the hell had this guy gone off to? His own mind slipped back to Celes…And the blonde telling him to go. He'd stayed anyway, because he was stubborn.

And because he just _couldn't_ lose Fai.

Fai was - in turn - studying Kurogane's red eyes. Why was the raven watching him like that? He would _know_ if he was hungry…So why was he staring? When the tan males eyes clouded over, Fai knew where his thoughts had taken him. Celes. The raven hadn't left him behind…Instead he'd hacked off his arm for the blonde. Fai remembered being terrified…He'd thought for sure that Kurogane would die that day. He'd even _cried, _in front of _everyone…_

_They had paid prices for one another, just to stay alive._

"Well! I think Kurogane and Fai should start putting up the red and orange ornaments, while I collect the dishes from dinner!" Tomoyo announced, breaking the silence. She had returned the picture to the area over top of the fireplace. Syaoran stood,

"I'll give you a hand," he offered, picking up his dishes, and Sakura's and Mokona's as well.

"Thank you," Tomoyo was grateful for the assistance, as she picked up the remaining dishes. As the two of them headed off into the kitchen, Fai stood,

"You heard the lady, we have a job to do." The lithe bodied male went directly to his box of ornaments, and looked through it, to see what his choices were. There were what appeared to be woven spheres with a ribbon that was tied into a bow. And small bird shapes, with feathery tails, and a small wire that you used to tie it to the tree. Gently, he lifted one of the bird ornaments. When he approached the tree, he allowed his eyes to wander over the branches. It didn't take him long to notice, that Tomoyo had sectioned off where each colour was to go, by bending a few of the branches.

He placed the bird on the tree, and began tying the wire to one of the branches. Kurogane sighed in defeat, and went to the box of red ornaments.

**--**

"Is everyone ready?" Tomoyo questioned, standing next to the light switch. The group was nodding in agreement.

She flicked on the lights.

**(A.N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter!!! I'm trying to keep it as angst-less as possible, but that's kind of hard…There isn't really a way to cheerfully explain what happened to Fai and Kurogane…)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**(A.N: I haven't read the manga - this is just me going off of a plotline that I formed in my head…I have no idea what goes on in the manga, so I'm sorry if this doesn't match up to it, but in some ways it really isn't supposed to. Sorry if this gets OOC at all…I tried to keep them as in-character as I could, but it was a bit difficult. Also, in regards to a review mentioning how I call Kurogane "the raven," I am aware of the facts that I am specifying a bird and not a hair colour, but I have seen others use the term in the same that I use it, so I got used to doing it too).**

Fai understood now, why Tomoyo had sectioned off where the colours were supposed to go. He couldn't even _tell _that the tree was white anymore…

Each of the different coloured ornaments had been sectioned off purposely. Where there were red ornaments, there were red lights. Orange with orange, and so on. The tree was a giant rainbow.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Tomoyo announced, picking up a semi-circular piece of styrofoam, which also had lights sticking out of one side of it. She turned her attention to Kurogane,

"Could you give me a hand? I want this up near the top."

The raven moved to stand behind her, and tucked his hands - carefully - under her arms, lifting her up. Tomoyo laughed, and fixed the light so that it was where she wanted it to be. When she plugged it in, the lights glowed. One line of each colour of the rainbow, in order. Kurogane set her down, gently.

"Thank you for helping me with that."

Kurogane didn't answer. He was busy watching his vampire. Fai had smiled a real smile, for once, when he saw the tree lighting up. But as soon as Kurogane picked up Tomoyo…

That's when something dawned on the raven. The blonde…

"Ooi."

Fai closed his eye and turned his head in Kurogane's direction. That big, fake smile of his spreading itself across his face,

"What is it Kuro-puu?"

Kurogane didn't answer. Instead, he turned his attention to Tomoyo,

"Is there somewhere we can go…Privately?" Tomoyo met his question with a confused expression.

"That idiot and I," Kurogane added, nodding in Fai's direction. The blondes eye opened in surprise.

"Sure, I have plenty of rooms," Tomoyo answered, but her own questions seemed to be going unanswered. Fai also watched, bewildered.

"He doesn't like it…When people watch him _eat_…" Kurogane muttered, not looking at either of them. Fai looked away as well. Kurogane had been thinking about him again…He'd seen that his pupil had changed shapes. Tomoyo smiled, nodding,

"Down the hall," she pointed,

"Last door on the right. That room isn't being used."

The raven glanced over at the blonde, before he began leading the way. Fai hesitated for a moment, shook his head from side to side slowly - in utter disbelief - and then followed after the male.

**--**

"That wasn't really necessary you know," Fai told him, closing the door behind himself,

"I could have waited."

"Why didn't you tell me that you needed to feed?" Kurogane wondered aloud.

"Well, you didn't really give me a chance to," Fai scolded playfully. But his face turned serious as he looked to the raven,

"But, that's not the only reason that you brought me here…Is it?"

The raven didn't answer. In his silence, he made his way over to the bed, and sat himself down on the edge of it. He wanted to talk to the blonde, about how he reacted. Wanted him to know that he'd _seen_ his reaction.

"I wonder about a few things," Kurogane admitted, shrugging. The blonde waited. He didn't really want Kurogane to care about him. Didn't want him to worry. But he did at the same time. He was such a _selfish _creature, wanting all of this males attention for himself, and at the same time, not wanting anything from him at all.

"Your expression." The voice caught him off guard, and the blonde looked up to meet the ravens gaze.

"Your expression, back there…"

Fai stepped forward, so that he wasn't as far away from the raven. It felt awkward, talking to him from such a wide distance.

"I don't know what you mean, Kuro-puu."

_Feigning innocence._

_Faking a smile._

Kurogane had had enough.

"Shut-up!" He growled. He didn't really plan out his next move. In a moment he was on his feet, and in another, he'd shoved Fai to the bed. He placed his hands on the mattress, on either side of the blonde, and kept his glare focused on the male.

"You keep on _running_ even though there's nothing left for you to run _from_! You're still putting on that stupid mask of yours, and I'm getting sick of seeing it! When are you going to stop pushing away your friends?! Why don't you see that there are people all around you who care?! Why can't you see that I…!" Kurogane froze, realizing how he was positioned. He took in Fai's expression. The blondes eye was expanded in shock. His lips were parted slightly…The blonde looked _speechless. _The raven pulled away, and sat down to the left of Fai. When the male turned his head so that he could see Kurogane, the raven surprised him by wrapping an arm around him. He became more understanding when Kurogane held up his right arm in front of his face.

**--**

When morning came around, Mokona got a signal from Yuuko.

"How are all of you?"

"We've been doing rather well," Sakura spoke up,

"How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. By what I understand, you're all in Piffle World?"

"Yeah, we ended up here again," Syaoran spoke now, with a nod of his head.

"And Fai and Kurogane are…?"

"Right here," Kurogane announced, stepping forwards to join the group. Fai was right behind him.

"Yuuko! We're celebrating Christmas here in Piffle World, with Tomoyo! She was kind enough to let us stay at her house!" Mokona announced, excitedly.

"Is that so?" Yuuko smiled,

"Well, that sounds fun."

"Yeah! There's lots of singing, and hot chocolate, and pretty, pretty lights! And snow!" Mokona was as cheerful as ever, and was happy to be sharing this information with someone he missed so dearly.

"Sounds like quite the event," Yuuko agreed.

"If you would all like to go out to shop for Christmas presents, then I'll supply all of you with some money!" Tomoyo announced.

"We couldn't possibly do that…" Syaoran objected, feeling guilty at the mere idea of taking money from someone, with no way of paying them back.

"But you need money from this world in order to get gifts…" Tomoyo insisted.

"There must be another way for us to get money," Fai spoke now, he was on Syaoran's side for this one.

"Mokona knows! Mokona knows!" The small creature announced,

"Yuuko! We've been collecting a big bag of items throughout all of our travels. Do you think we could trade that in for money for Piffle World?"

"What a good idea, Mokona," Sakura complimented the tiny creatures smart way of thinking.

"Send it through, and I'll see what I can do," Yuuko instructed. Mokona did what he was told to do, and passed along the bag of items. When Yuuko received it, she looked at the size of the bag,

"This may take a while. I'll check back with you as soon as I've gone through this."

Mokona nodded, and the light disappeared.

**--**

When Yuuko had returned, she had passed the money through to Tomoyo, who was to separate it evenly among the group of travelers. Tomoyo had nodded, sat down, and poured the money onto the table. Now, each member of the group had a good deal of money in their pockets. Tomoyo gave them directions so that they could get into town.

"I'd come with you, but I'm afraid I have some decorating that I need to finish. Now, I think Syaoran and Sakura should buy gifts for one another, and Kurogane and Fai should do the same!"

"Why are you pairing me with the vampire?" the raven grumbled.

"Because he's the person that you're closest to."

"…Che." The raven started walking away.

**--**

"So Syaoran and Sakura are supposed to shop for one another, and Kuro-puu and I are supposed to shop for each other. So, I propose that we split up. Syaoran and Kergs will go one way, and Sakura and I will go in another direction."

"That sounds good to me," Sakura agreed, nodding.

"Will you two be alright on your own?" Syaoran questioned, slightly anxious. He knew that he and Kurogane could take care of themselves, that wouldn't be an issue. Kurogane had his sword, and he himself had his kicks. Fai was strong too, but…

"Sakura will be safe with me, I promise," Fai reassured him. As if to emphasize his point, he added,

"I may not _look_ like much, but if anyone tries anything," here he allowed his nails to extend. A trait given to vampires,

"I'll make sure they regret it."

Syaoran smiled,

"Those look like they'd hurt."

Fai allowed the nails to return to a normal size, and nodded,

"They do. I've cut myself on one, because I got curious."

"Che. _Idiot._" Kurogane's voice muttered.

It wasn't long before the group split up. Syaoran and Kurogane going one way, Fai and Sakura going the other. As Fai and Sakura walked together, the blonde felt relieved. He didn't have to listen to Kurogane for a while, and that was a bit of a good thing. He was still remembering their conversation from the previous night.

"_You keep on running even though there's nothing left for you to run from! You're still putting on that stupid mask of yours, and I'm getting sick of seeing it! When are you going to stop pushing away your friends?! Why don't you see that there are people all around you who care?! Why can't you see that I…!" _

"Fai?"

The blonde turned his attention to Sakura,

"Yes?"

"You looked really sad for a moment…Is something bothering you?"

Fai looked away, his expression -once again- showing how he was feeling inside. His smile was halfhearted. His eye was sad…

"You could say that," he agreed.

"Well if you need someone to talk to, I'll listen. You're my friend, and friends help each other when they're needed." Sakura informed him, smiling.

"Thank you, Sakura," his smile became a little happier,

"I'm afraid my problem lies with Kuro-puu."

"Kurogane? What happened?"

"Well…"

"_Why don't you see that there are people all around you who care?! Why can't you see that I…!" _

"We got into a bit of an argument the other night, when he took me away so that I could feed," Fai admitted.

"An argument? About what?"

"…Me," Fai told her quietly,

"You see…My history is something I've never actually _shared _with anyone. I didn't want to bring people into my own world of darkness when they didn't need to see it. There's no reason that my past should be anyone's burden to bear. And now that Ashura is gone…I don't have anyone to run from. _Not anymore. _But…I don't know how to let people in. I'm _afraid_ to."

"Fai…" Sakura wrapped her arms around the male, burying her face in his shirt.

"Sakura…?"

"It's because he cares, Fai!" She announced. The blondes amber eye grew.

"He _cares_ about you…I _know_ he does! He has trouble showing it, because he's so headstrong…He doesn't want you to live alone, in misery…He can see that you've spent _enough_ time living that way…I can see it too! Kurogane is just…He's just…He's trying to help you get better. He wants you to be _happy_…He wants you to smile! He…He…" Sakura trailed, as Fai wrapped his long, slender arms around her,

"…Thank you, Sakura." She looked up at him. He was smiling…It wasn't much, but it was there. And it was much more realistic than any smile she'd seen on his face before,

"You helped me. You listened to my problem, and you reassured me of something important. He _does_ care. I know he does. Sometimes, I lose myself…And I forget that his harsh reactions are just his way of looking out for those around him. So, thank you…You pulled me out of a mess."

"Fai…"

"Now. We should get a move on, if we want to find presents for Syaoran and Kuro-puu."

Sakura nodded,

"Right!"

**--**

"Yuuko!" Mokona announced the name with excitement.

"Hello Mokona. I take it the others have gone out?"

"Mm!" The little creature agreed.

"Well, that's good then. Because there's something that I need to send you."

"Send? What is it?"

"It's a gift, for Fai. But I can't say who it's from."

"For Fai?"

"Yes, for Fai. But make sure you give it to Kurogane. There will be a note attached to it too…Don't let anyone read the note except for Kurogane. He'll give Fai the gift."

He was curious, but he didn't ask,

"Alright. I understand," Mokona answered. Yuuko smiled,

"Good."

**--**

"Sakura, maybe we should check out that one," Fai pointed to the shop that he was looking at. There were a lot of colours by what he could see…It looked so _nice. _She turned her head to look at the store.

"Wow! It's so pretty…"

Fai took her hand in his, and the two carefully crossed the street and headed for the store. Upon entering, the blonde released Sakura's hand, and they both were captivated by the colours all around them. A jewelry shop. There was a woman behind the counter to their right. She smiled when they entered,

"Good morning!"

"Good morning," Sakura answered, Fai nodded politely.

"May I help you with anything?" The woman asked.

"We're just looking for now," Fai told her kindly,

"But if we need anything, we'll be sure to let you know."

The woman nodded, and took a seat. She pulled out a magazine, and began flipping through it. She knew a bad customer when she saw one…She had always been gifted that way. Knowing when someone was honest, and when they weren't. These two were honest people…The blonde one _did_ lie about things, and she could tell…But they weren't things that _she _needed to worry about. By what she could see, it was probably information about his past that he kept hidden away.

Sakura was drawn over to the counter the woman had been standing behind. It was glass, and full of pretty rings.

"Wow…" She said quietly.

"Those ones are all at good prices. The expensive ones are in the area across from me," the woman informed them, nodding towards the expensive things.

"These are so pretty," Sakura said, admiring the rings. When she looked to her left, she saw that Fai was also looking down at the case.

"They're nice, aren't they Fai?"

He nodded, his eyes seemed to be locked on one ring in particular. Sakura followed his gaze. A silver ring. There was a purple heart on it too…It looked slightly warped, so that it would attach directly onto the rings base. Sakura averted her eyes once more. So, Fai really _was_ a bit feminine. She didn't mind that at all though…He was still her friend.

She continued to look through the glass, until something caught her eye. A ring that was a dark grey-silver colour. It looked like two wings, that would wrap around the finger. She immediately thought of Syaoran.

"See something you like, Sakura?" Fai wondered aloud, looking over to the girl.

"Mm. I'm wondering if Syaoran would like it too."

"I'm sure he'd be happy with anything, as long as it came from you."

Sakura blushed a little at the thought.

"Christmas shopping?" The woman questioned, knowingly.

Fai nodded in agreement,

"We're not from around here, but right now, we're staying with a friend. She's introduced us to the holiday, and we thought we might as well give it a try."

"I see! So, you've found something then?" She turned her gaze to Sakura.

"I think so…"

"Hmm, do you know his ring size?"

"Well…No…"

"Hm…Would either of you be _close_ in his ring size?"

"I might be…" Sakura answered.

"Right then. Lets try finding out what your size is!"

"If it's alright," Fai spoke gently,

"When she's done, can we find out what size I am…I'm awfully curious about this now."

The woman smiled,

"Of course!"

**--**

"We haven't had any luck yet…" Syaoran spoke up, still looking around.

"Yeah."

"I wonder how the others are doing."

"Yeah."

"…You're worrying about Fai, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

There was a pause.

"Hey wait a minute!!" Kurogane growled.

"No need to get so upset Kurogane," Syaoran put up his hands in defense,

"You've been really out of it, ever since we split up from the others. I just assumed that whatever was on your mind, it must have something to do with Fai."

Kurogane didn't answer. He hadn't expected for Syaoran to pay so much attention. The kid was so reserved all the time…It was like he only paid attention to the Princess, and didn't notice anything else until one of his friends started acting _strange. _But, that wasn't it. Syaoran made it _seem_ as though he only paid attention to Sakura, but he was also very well aware of when things weren't right. And he knew that right now, things were not right between Kurogane and Fai.

"I won't force you to talk about it," Syaoran added in,

"I know that you're used to keeping things to yourself. But, if you _do_ want to talk about it, then I'm fine with listening."

"Thanks kid." The raven made no move to talk about the blonde haired vampire that he had been thinking about so deeply.

"This place looks colourful," Syaoran commented, looking into the shop window. The two headed inside.

"Good morning!" The woman behind the counter greeted.

"Good morning!" Syaoran responded. Kurogane just nodded.

'_Well, that's a bit déjà vu,' _the woman thought in silence,

"May I help you with anything?"

"We're just looking for now, but if we need anything, we'll be sure to let you know," Syaoran answered.

'_He said the exact same thing as that other male did…'_

"Alright," she sat down, and opened her magazine.

Syaoran walked over to a stand that carried necklaces. He tried to imagine what Sakura would like, and he wondered if maybe a necklace would do. He allowed himself to look over the variety. Kurogane was at a necklace stand to his left with he looked over. He didn't need to ask. He knew the male was thinking about Fai.

When Syaoran finally found something, he was glad. A silver necklace with two pendants on it. Two silver wings. He picked it up and looked to see if Kurogane had found anything. The raven was holding a necklace. Silver chain. A loop, and a crystal sort of shape. The crystal was red. On the top half of the crystal, there was something covering it, with circular designs embedded into it. Syaoran wandered over to the counter.

"Found something?"

"Yeah," he placed the necklace on the counter,

"I'm just hoping she likes it."

"I'm sure she will."

"I hope so," he turned his attention to Kurogane,

"Did you find something for Fai?"

The woman hesitated as she was ringing through Syaoran's purchase. Kurogane looked slightly embarrassed, but he nodded. Syaoran smiled, and turned his attention back to the woman. She continued with ringing through his purchase and told him the price.

When Syaoran was finished, Kurogane stepped up to the counter, and laid down the necklace. He turned his attention to the kid,

"Go wait outside. If they walk by, we don't want to get caught."

"Right," Syaoran answered, with a nod. He stepped outside. Kurogane waited until the door had closed behind him.

"Was he looking at anything in particular?" His attention was still on the door. The woman looked up to him, and he shifted his attention to her.

'_Does he mean…?'_

"He looked at a few things. But his attention kept coming back to one thing in particular."

"And that would be?"

She set down the necklace and crouched down, pulling out a set of keys. Sliding one into the lock, she slid the glass open. She then pointed to the ring she'd seen the blonde looking at,

"That one there."

Kurogane looked to where she was pointing. Surprised and embarrassed, he looked away again,

"I see."

"He also had me size his finger…He's a seven."

The raven pulled out his money and placed it down on the table,

"This is how much I have. We're not from around here, so I have no idea how your money system works. You tell me what I can afford." He turned his attention to the door once again. The woman smiled.

'_He has a tough exterior, but he's a softy on the inside.' _She checked the prices on the ring and necklace.

**--**

"Everyone's home!" Mokona announced, floating his way over to Fai,

"Fai!"

"Mokona," the blonde greeted, holding out his hands. Mokona landed on the outstretched hands, and giggled. Fai wandered into the living room. Sakura followed along behind him. When they entered however, Tomoyo was sitting on one of the couches, with a box on the couch beside her, and on the table an assortment of items.

"You're back!" She announced when she turned her head to see them.

"I got some things out for you. Tomorrow is the big day after all…So you need to wrap your gifts. On the table I have scissors, and tape…And in here," she gestured to the box,

"Wrapping paper, boxes, and stickers to write the names on, in case you need them."

"Hyuu!" Fai exclaimed - something he hadn't done in a while,

"These are so colourful…" His fingers traced over the wrapping paper rolls. Mokona hopped onto the back of the couch.

"I'm glad that you like them! You and Sakura should each pick one now, and get what you need. Then you can go down to the room you and Kurogane shared the other night, and wrap your presents."

The two of them looked to the box. Sakura looked inside, and sure enough, there were small ring boxes. She pulled out a white one. Fai picked the wrapping paper. It was blue, with white snowflakes. He then grabbed a box that the necklace would fit into. As well as a page of stickers, so that they could write the names of their friends down. The two headed off to the room, and had just shut the door when Kurogane and Syaoran came back.

"Ah, you're back! Welcome home!"

"Welcome back!" Mokona echoed.

"Thanks," Syaoran answered.

"Have the other two come back yet?"

"They're wrapping up your gifts right now," Tomoyo answered, nodding.

**--**

Fai had placed the necklace into the box, and taped the opened end shut. Now, he was trying to get the wrapping paper onto it. Taping an end of it down, he was able to get it to work out how he'd _hoped_ it would. Sakura had placed the ring into the box and had cut up a small piece of wrapping paper to cover the small box. They had each taken a sticker, and found some pens.

In his elegant script, Fai wrote down the name of his most beloved person:

Kuro-puu.

Sakura wrote down Syaoran's name as well, though her writing wasn't _quite_ so _elegant,_

Syaoran.

When the two of them emerged, Syaoran and Kurogane went in.

**--**

Kurogane and Syaoran were coming back.

"Kuro-puu, do you think I could have a word with you?" Fai questioned, standing. Kurogane looked confused, but the vampires smile was so real…Sad, yet real…

Sakura turned around to look at the raven, and gave him a small nod. Apparently, she thought this was a good idea. Sighing in defeat, the raven waited for the blonde to get to him, before the two of them headed back towards their room.

"What was that about?" Syaoran wondered, watching them leave. Sakura looked to him and smiled,

"I think they had an argument, and Fai wants to resolve it."

Syaoran smiled back.

**--**

"What is it that you want exactly?" Kurogane asked, listening to the door being closed behind Fai. The blonde didn't speak. He just stared at the back of the male, as he tried to come up with what he wanted to say. Not hearing a response was getting on Kurogane's nerves,

"Ooi. What do you want, vampire?"

'_Vampire,' _Fai repeated the word in his head,

'_That's right. I'm here because of __**you. **__For some crazy reason, you wouldn't just let me die. __**No. **__Maybe you just __**couldn't**__ let me die. You always __**were**__ that kind of person. You're so rash, but you do it because you care. You idiot.' _He walked over to the male, and pressed his forehead the ravens back, closing his eyes.

'_I hate this. I wish I could go back to smelling Kurogane's __**scent**__…And not his __**blood.**__'_

"O-Ooi…"

"Sorry," Fai told him gently,

"You're right…I _do _keep running. I know I shouldn't, but the truth is, I'm afraid. All my life I've been told how unfortunate it was that I'd been born. My own parents _hated_ my birth."

Kurogane froze. He hadn't known that. But then again, there was _a lot _about Fai that he didn't know.

"When Ashura took me in, he made it seem like he wanted me to be his son at first. But I saw into his plans. He wanted me to be a killer…A cold blooded _murderer. _I already knew at that time how terrible it was that I was alive. I didn't want to make my existence anymore of a burden than it already was. But then…" And hear, there was a bit of a smile in his voice,

"But then you showed up. And you saw right through that mask that I'd worked so hard to perfect."

"…" Kurogane didn't know what to say to that.

The blonde apparently had nothing more to say. He moved away from the raven, and left the room. Even when the door closed behind Fai, Kurogane still didn't move. He'd forgotten how to move his limbs. _Fai_…He'd actually given the raven a very vague glimpse into his life.

**--**

"Ahh! Syaoran, Sakura!" Tomoyo called out. They turned to look at her. She was holding a camera.

"Look up!" She announced. They both did. And once realization dawned on them, they both turned bright red.

"You're trapped under the mistletoe together! You know what that means!!"

"Kiss time, kiss time!" Mokona cheered.

"But we…We uhm…" Syaoran trailed. He didn't know if Sakura would be okay with it or not.

"No buts! Just do it!" Tomoyo insisted, holding up her camera.

Fai had wandered out of his room, and now he stood back, watching with amusement as the two finally managed to kiss each other. And he watched Tomoyo take their picture.

"Documenting already?" Fai wondered, looking to Tomoyo, who nodded.

Fai wondered if he'd get caught under the mistletoe as well…

**(A.N: Wow, so this chapter was MUCH longer than I planned on it being…And this fanfic has turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it'd be…Sorry it's taking me so long to finish…I feel like crap right now…Ugh, I wish I wasn't sick…)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**(A.N: ****I'M SORRY THAT THEY GET OOC IN THIS CHAPTER!!! ****So this is the final chapter…I hope you guys enjoy it?)**

It was Christmas. Fai hadn't expected to get too excited over the holiday…But he was. Tomoyo turned her head in his direction,

"Fai, would you like some hot chocolate?"

He nodded,

"That would be wonderful. It's one of the few things I can taste anymore."

She smiled,

"Alright then. Would everyone else like a cup of hot chocolate?"

There were agreeing voices and nods from everyone in the room. Tomoyo nodded once in response,

"Okay, I'll go and get it. In the meantime, under the tree, there are gifts from me to each of you…I wrote down your names on them, and they say that they're from me."

Mokona hopped over to the tree, and Sakura looked down at the presents from her position on the couch.

"This one is for Syaoran!" Mokona called out, and Sakura carefully picked it up, so that she could hand it to the male beside her. He took it with a smile and a thanks. Next came Kurogane's, then Sakura's, and Fai's, before Mokona finally found his own.

Fai opened his gift. It appeared that everyone had gotten clothes - from this world. (Except Mokona, who had gotten chocolate). He smiled, running his fingers over the fabrics. Tomoyo reappeared, and placed a tray of cups of hot chocolate on the table.

"You all have to try these on!" She announced, her camera appearing from her pocket.

Fai was sent off to his room, along with Kurogane. Sakura went to her room, and Syaoran went to the washroom - wanting to give the Princess her privacy so that she could change.

**--**

Fai felt kind of exposed - even though he _knew_ that Kurogane had his back to him. He undid his shirt, and draped it onto the bed. He then grabbed his new shirt, a black sweater. When he pulled it on, the area around his neck hung down in front of him. It came up higher than a regular sweater would have, but the neck area was loose, and sort of baggy. He liked it. Next he changed his pants. When he did up the button on the skinny jeans, he looked down at himself with his good eye. Did this look okay? He wasn't sure.

Kurogane finished with changing as well. He was wearing a white button-up dress shirt would. He was also wearing black jeans.

"Done over there?" The samurai called out, not wanting to startle the blonde.

"Yeah," Fai's voice answered.

Kurogane turned around. Fai had turned to face him as well - but he was looking down at himself instead. The raven tried to keep the pink off of his cheeks. Honestly, did Fai have to look attractive in _everything_ he wore? Was that _necessary_? And why had Tomoyo given him jeans that clung to his figure like that? His body was just _way_ too perfect…

"Does it look bad?" Fai wondered, catching the raven staring. Kurogane snapped out of it, and shook his head; _no. _The blonde smiled. His raven looked so handsome…

"Well then, lets head back to the group."

**--**

"Like them?" Tomoyo questioned, smiling as they approached.

"This is rather different for me," Fai answered, gesturing to the jeans,

"But they're quite comfortable."

"That's good."

Kurogane still couldn't get over the appearance of the blonde. He'd _always_ been attractive. Now his curves were highly defined, and the raven couldn't get over the _perfection_ of the males form. Fai caught the raven staring at him, and his cheeks turned a little pink. Now, he _really_ felt _exposed. _He wasn't used to _gawked at _like that.

"It's time for you to swap gifts with each other!" Tomoyo announced, rushing over to the tree. She found Syaoran's and Sakura's and passed them to them so that they could swap. She found Kurogane's and Fai's, and handed them to them. They swapped. She signaled for them to not open them yet,

"Youngest first," she encouraged, aiming her camera at Syaoran and Sakura. Fai nodded in agreement.

"Ladies first," Syaoran told Sakura. She smiled and nodded. As she tore open the wrapping paper, she found a box, which she opened carefully. Inside, she found a necklace. Two little wing pendants hung down from the chain.

"Oh Syao, it's so pretty," she breathed. Both of them were blushing. Syaoran set his own gift down on the coffee table and offered to help her put it on. When the task was completed, he opened his present, and their blushes deepened. He studied the ring for a while, before Sakura guided it onto his ring finger. Everyone looked to the blonde and the raven.

They opened their gifts in unison and when they were both looking down at them, Fai smiled. He then began laughing. Sitting before him, was a necklace. It was a red crystal, with a designed covering over the top part of it. Oh this was _so_ familiar to him. It made him laugh. He hadn't laughed so much in a while, he actually had to put down his present and wrap his arms around himself.

"M-My stomach," he cried, still laughing.

"Fai, are you okay?" Mokona questioned, watching the male in confusion.

"I'm fine," he reassured the little creature,

"I just find it funny…Because…Well, look at Kuro-puu's present."

Mokona did. Kurogane sat with a deep blue crystal necklace, with a designed covering over the top part of it. His necklace was the same as Fai's…The only differences were the colours of the crystals.

"We shopped at the same place and looked at the same things," Fai explained, calming down.

Kurogane had a bit of a smile on his lips as well. Fai put his present down on the coffee table,

"I can't wear it right now. I'm afraid this shirt won't let me." He smiled,

"However, I do like it."

The blonde moved to sit on his knees, facing Kurogane. He held out his hand for the males necklace, and Kurogane looked confused, but handed it to him. Fai then turned the males shoulders so that his back was facing him. He began to assist him with getting the necklace attached. As this was going on, Mokona remembered something.

"Mokona remembers! There's something else for Fai! It's under the tree!"

Fai moved back from Kurogane, having completed his task,

"Would you mind getting it little one?"

"'Kay!" Mokona walked underneath the tree.

"_Yes, for Fai. But make sure you give it to Kurogane. There will be a note attached to it too…Don't let anyone read the note except for Kurogane. He'll give Fai the gift."_

The small creature picked up the little box and walked out from underneath the tree. He paused,

"Yuuko sent this one for Fai. But she told Mokona that Kuro-puu is supposed to read the note and then give Fai the gift."

Everyone was confused, but Mokona continued with walking, and hopped up beside the samurai. He placed the present on the males leg, before he hopped off the couch, and used his ears to levitate his way over to Sakura. At first Kurogane didn't know what to do. But after a moment of hesitation, he peeled the note off of the gift, and unfolded it.

_His eyes went wide as he read the words in silence._

"Kergs?" Fai questioned, growing concerned,

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"…Looks like he found his heart after all," the samurai murmured, folding the note.

"Found his…Heart?" The blonde questioned, confused. Kurogane passed the folded note to Tomoyo,

"Give that to Syaoran."

She nodded, and passed it along. While Syaoran read the words in his own silence, Kurogane made Fai sit with his back to their friends.

"Kergs? What's happening?"

Kurogane still didn't answer. He just lifted Fai's eye patch. The blonde gasped and covered his socket with one hand. He looked away in shame,

"You don't want to look at that, Kergs. It's _ugly._"

"I've seen it already," the samurai reminded him gently, moving the blondes hand away,

"Now, close your eye."

Fai did as he was told. Kurogane opened the box and looked down. Sure enough, there was the little blue orb he'd been told about. He lifted the box, and it lifted itself up into the air, entering Fai's socket. The blonde gasped, and covered the socket, screaming in pain as his body went through something it had done only _once_ before. The samurai held him in place.

This was all so familiar. It was like what had happened in Tokyo…But different…

Finally the pain ebbed away, and the blonde sat with his eye still closed.

"Fai?" Kurogane's voice.

He couldn't find his own voice at the moment, so he decided to look at him instead. What the hell had happened? When his gaze locked on the male…Something had changed. He blinked, confused. The scents in the air had changed. Tomoyo's home smelt of hot chocolate and cookies. And that smell that was closest to him…Was something he remembered, from a distant memory…

Kurogane was staring at him, bewildered.

"Kergs?"

The blonde blinked again, nervous now. His samurai had been staring at him earlier too, but not like this.

_Wait._

Fai looked down to his hands. Two hands. Nothing unusual there. But something had _changed._

_No_…It _couldn't_ be…

He let one hand go limp in his lap. With his other hand, he slowly reached up, and brushed his fingers over his left eyelid. It was soft, like his other eyelid was. But it had changed.

_There was something round beneath it._

Fai moved his hand away and set his gaze on the samurai again. He understood now. He understood. His eyes started burning as the tears slowly began to form, clouding his vision. He couldn't make himself blink, so the tears overflowed and started trails down his cheeks.

"Kergs," he whispered.

The raven smiled, pulling the blonde into a hug. Right now, he didn't care if their friends saw them. He couldn't care less. _Let them watch. _He stroked his fingers through the males hair. Fai cried against the ravens chest, breathing in his scent with every inhaling breath. _Kurogane. _He could _smell_ Kurogane. And for the first time in a long time, he wasn't _thirsty_ for the males _blood. _In fact, he couldn't even _smell_ the males blood. The vampire that he had become had vanished…

"Is Fai okay?" Mokona questioned. Sakura looked worried too. She hurried to Kurogane's right - Fai's left side, and crouched down.

"Fai?" She asked quietly.

Fai turned his head to his left, and smiled. He didn't need to turn his head completely to look at her for once. He could _see_ her…

Sakura gasped in surprise. She reached out and stole a hug from the blonde, and he willingly hugged her back, before returning to Kurogane.

Fai didn't need his vampire blood any longer. He had his left eye back. And his magic was _more_ than enough to keep him alive.

**--**

He opened his eyes, slowly. Blinking a few times. There was a sound…Like metal moving. A soft _clanking_ noise. As his eyes adjusted, it dawned on him, what he was looking at. Kurogane was flexing out his artificial arm. Bending it at the elbow, unbending it. Studying it again. Fai reached out with a cold hand, and touched the artificial arm.

Kurogane looked down to the blonde,

"You're awake."

"I am," he whispered,

"How long have I been asleep?"

"A couple of hours at the most. It's still rather early…Everyone else is still downstairs. I brought you up here so you could rest."

"And you stayed here this whole time?"

Kurogane looked away,

"Well…Yeah…I didn't want you to…You know…"

Fai smiled. Oh his raven was so shy sometimes, even though he usually played things off as though they were of no importance whatsoever. The blonde knew him better than that.

"Maybe we should head back downstairs then?" He suggested.

**--**

"Fai!" Sakura announced rushing over to him. She embraced him, burying her face in his shirt. He blinked, but then took on a more understanding train of thought, and hugged her back.

"Hello Sakura."

"How are you feeling?" She questioned, looking up to meet his gaze. He grinned,

"I feel fine. Much better than before. My eye doesn't hurt anymore."

She smiled, and released him, stepping away. As she returned to her seat beside Syaoran, Mokona hovered his way over to Fai, who held out his hands for the creature.

"Fai!"

"Hello little one."

"You're not in anymore pain?"

"My eye doesn't hurt anymore," Fai answered honestly. Mokona could tell that his blonde haired companion still had plenty of other pains to keep him company. But his eye no longer bothered him, and that was good enough for now. The rabbit-like creature giggled,

"Yay! Fai's okay!"

**--**

After everyone had eaten dinner they all returned to the living room. Tomoyo was looking through her pictures in a rather dejected fashion.

"What's the matter Tomoyo?" Fai inquired, looking over to the dark haired girl, as she looked through image after image.

"These pictures!" She cried out, sounding upset.

"What's wrong with them?" Fai wondered, playing with Mokona who was sitting on his stomach.

"Well…I have pictures of everyone…Group shots, single shots…I have you guys opening your gifts…I have all of you throughout your time here…Funny moments…"

Fai waited.

"And I have mistletoe shots…of Syaoran and Sakura…" Hearing their names, the two looked away, blushing.

"And I have a few where I caught Sakura myself," Tomoyo giggled,

"And Mokona giving everyone kisses…I even have a few of Fai kissing Sakura's hand." The blonde smiled at this. He remembered that happening a few times. He'd kissed her hand, thinking it would be respectful, and hoping it wouldn't look _too_ awkward. Of course it had looked great in the pictures, so everything had turned out fine.

"I don't understand," Fai admitted,

"What's the matter with these pictures?"

"I like the ones I have. But something is missing," Tomoyo told him, frustrated. She turned a slight glare to him, and then to Kurogane. When she saw how they were thoroughly confused, she sighed in exasperation,

"I STILL DON'T HAVE A PICTURE OF YOU AND KUROGANE UNDER THE MISTLETOE!"

Everyone in the room - except for Mokona and Tomoyo - deadpanned. Sakura and Syaoran both were red in the face, but smiling. Kurogane and Fai exchanged a look, and then looked away from each other, both of their faces changing colours.

"Us?" Fai wondered aloud. He was trying to sound nonchalant, but he wasn't doing as well as he'd hoped he would.

"Che," was all Kurogane had to say, as he kept his gaze far away from the wizard who was sprawled out at the other end of the couch.

Mokona giggled,

"Kuro-puu and Fai are in love-love!"

"Hey! What did you say furball?!" The samurai turned his attention to Mokona - which was a mistake, because he forgot that the little creature was sitting on Fai's stomach. The raven looked away again.

"Kurogane is in denial," Tomoyo sighed,

"Fai's _trying_ to be in denial, but he really _isn't. _He's just trying to brush it off for Kurogane's sake."

The blondes cheeks turned an even darker shade.

**--**

The raven was standing in the doorway. He was fully aware of the ridiculous fake plant that was hanging over his head. He was just ignoring it. For now, he just allowed himself to close his eyes and feel the breeze coming in through the window he'd opened.

"Kergs?"

He opened his eyes. The blonde had taken position in the doorway, standing in front of him - leaning against the opposite side of the doorframe.

"Something wrong?"

"No," the raven answered simply with a small shake of his head. But his voice sounded so far away. It almost sounded like he was sad. Fai didn't like this. He took the step forwards, putting his hands on the males shoulders,

"Kergs, you should know by now. I know when you're lying just like you know when I'm lying."

Kurogane didn't answer. His hands found Fai's hands, and he moved them to link behind the back of his neck. His artificial arm coiled around the males waist, and his right hand embedded itself in Fai's hair. He leaned down, closing his eyes, and pressed his lips against those of Fai. The blondes eyes went wide with surprise. Kurogane - he hadn't noticed before of course - was a lot softer to the touch than he'd ever thought he was. His skin was toughened with muscle…But it was _soft. _And his lips were…Should his lips feel this way against Fai's? The blonde didn't know…

He moved his hands to the males shoulders, and pushed. The raven pulled away from him, confused. Fai's cheeks were pink, and his blue eyes were bewildered.

"…Wh-" The blonde cut off his own sentence, searching the red eyes that he was so familiar with,

"You never did this…Before…Why now?…Because I'm back to who I _used _to be…?"

Fai could tell that he looked hurt. It reflected in Kurogane's expression as the male looked worried.

"Fai…" The raven sighed, hugging him close,

"Idiot," he muttered,

"That's not why--"

"Then why?" Fai interjected. He wasn't usually like this…He felt like such a _child_ now, arguing over being _kissed…_

"Because when you were a vampire, I worried that it might _too much _for you."

The blonde looked up with confused eyes.

"…I thought it might be hard for you to keep from…I didn't want you to hurt me on accident…I knew that if you did that, you'd blame yourself for it later…"

"…" Fai didn't know how to respond. His eyes shook. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to cascade down his cheeks.

"Fai…Don't cry…" Kurogane murmured. Fai wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to someone caring about him. Wasn't he supposed to bring _misfortune? _Wasn't he a _curse? _

…_Shouldn't he be dead?_

The ravens lips found his once more, and the blondes knees went weak. Kurogane supported him around his waist with his artificial arm, and held his chin -gently- with his right hand. Fai closed his eyes. The samurai was a little _too good _at what he did. The way his lips could find Fai's with simplicity. With _ease. _The way he managed to get the blonde to kiss him back. Why was he so _captivating? _It was bad enough that he had to be so appealing, physically…But did he truly need to so…_Mesmerizing?_

Their kiss broke off after something flashed.

They both looked to the window to see a giggling Tomoyo, with a camera in hand.

_Oh shit._

She ran off, smiling. Kurogane ran to the window and leant out, watching her go. Closing the window, he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Looks like she got her mistletoe picture."

Fai looked up, and stepped into their room. He wasn't sure whether or not he should feel sad. He smiled a sad little smile,

"She did."

Kurogane shut the window, and locked it. He then pulled the curtain shut.

"Well, now she can't use _this_ as a way to take pictures of people who aren't paying any attention."

Fai leaned against the door. Kurogane walked his way, and Fai placed his hand over the lock.

"Fai? What's the matter?"

"…Is that why?" He wondered aloud, using his bangs as a way to cover his eyes.

"Is _what _why?"

"…Is that why you kissed me? Because there was mistletoe hanging there?"

Kurogane sighed, and pulled Fai to him. He then reached out and locked the door, to keep Tomoyo out.

"No. That wasn't my reason. I was trying to ignore that stupid plant - Tomoyo put it there on purpose. But…What happened in the doorway…Happened on our own terms…Not because she hung something there as a holiday decoration."

The blonde felt the heat on his cheeks, and he pulled away, gently. He went to his bedside, and pulled open the drawer where his night clothes were being kept. Pulling them out, he tossed them onto his bed. An oversized t-shirt, and a pair of blue pajama pants. Kurogane didn't need to ask. He went to his own bedside, and pulled out his black pajama pants. He too had an oversized t-shirt - though his didn't look that loose on him, because he was already so massively built - but he didn't bother with wearing it. His body temperature was already far beyond what it should be. Fai checked to make sure that Kurogane had his back to him - he did. He started with the pants, removing the jeans and trading them in for the pajama pants. When this was complete, he pulled off the sweater he'd been wearing, and pulled on his huge t-shirt. It barely hung onto him at all. One side would often slip and reveal his shoulder.

"I'm done," he announced. Kurogane muttered a simple and short answer and sat down on the edge of his bed. Fai turned around, bracing himself. He knew what he was going to see, but still, for whatever reason…_It made his breath catch._

Sure enough, there was Kurogane, sloppily folding the clothes he'd previously been wearing, and tossing them carelessly onto the floor. He was wearing his pajama pants - black, of course - but no shirt. The shirt stayed in the drawer for some reason. So instead, Fai got to see every little detail to the males perfect form. He was muscular - not buff - but muscular. He had enough strength to protect the people that he cares about. His skin was the perfect colour too…A lovely tan that encompassed him entirely.

_Red met blue._

Fai looked away,

"Really Kergs, would it _kill you _to wear the shirt?"

"Does it _really_ bother you that I'm half naked?"

"……" Fai wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to answer that. He climbed into his bed, and lied down. Kurogane did the same, lying on his back. Fai lied facing the wall. He went to put his hand under his pillow, because sometimes he slept better that way…But when he did. He paused. There was something under his pillow…

He wrapped his fingers around it, and pulled it out. A small box? He sat up.

"Kergs?" He looked his way, but the male had rolled over to face the wall.

"Kuro-puu?"

"I'm sleeping," Kurogane answered, not sounding tired in the slightest,

"Snore, snore, snore. See?"

Fai smiled at the ravens attempts to avoid the conversation. He pulled the lid off of the box.

His breath caught in his throat. His eyes went wide, and his fingers touched his lips, in surprise. He was staring at a silver ring with a warped purple heart on it…Warped to attach to the base of the ring.

_The same ring he'd been staring at while he was at the store earlier that day with Sakura._

Kurogane was listening for a response from the blonde, his face red. He hadn't wanted to give Fai that present in front of the others. He wouldn't mind him wearing it in front of them. He just didn't want them to see him give it to him. For some reason, that embarrassed the hell out of him. The blonde returned the lid to the box, and placed it on his bedside table.

That damned samurai…Paid too much attention to everything. Sakura had said Fai's name while they were in the store…And no doubt with a name as unique as that, the cashier was _more_ than likely going to remember it. Syaoran must have said the name later when he and Kurogane entered the store. She must have reacted to the name…Kurogane would have noticed that for sure.

_Damn samurai._

The blonde moved his covers away from himself, regretting it, because the blankets were warm, and the room was not. He shivered.

"Get back under your blankets before you freeze," the raven instructed, not even bothering to look at him. Fai froze…How did? Testing this, he sat himself so that his legs hung over the beds edge. He went to put one foot on the floor.

"The floor is really cold right now, because the window was open. Stupid mage."

"Do you have eyes in the back of your head?"

"Don't need them. I use my ears, I can hear you shifting."

"That's right…In Tokyo…When you fought Kamui…"

The blonde remembered. Kurogane had shut his eyes just as Kamui had gotten close. He'd listened to the opponent as he approached, and stuck out his sword without a moment to spare. He could have _killed_ the vampire, or _been _killed _by_ the vampire.

"A fighter needs to be aware of everything at all times."

"I'm not an enemy."

"No, but it's good to keep your senses about you at all times anyways. You never know. You might catch onto something when no one else can."

Fai stood up and shivered when the chills ran up his body.

"Told you it was cold."

Betting against the odds, Fai walked towards the raven. He stepped in utter silence. He held his breath. He didn't allow himself to make a sound. Kurogane mumbled to himself the entire time. Fai was surprised, the raven hadn't called him out on this yet. He had three more steps…Two…

"One," the samurai spoke aloud.

Fai let out the breath he'd been holding,

"You're a little too good at this Kergs…How did you?"

"I told you. I _don't_ need my eyes."

Fai stepped forward and sat himself down on the edge of the ravens bed,

"Alright, so you have an answer to everything?"

"Everything about me, yeah."

"Alright then. Mind answering something for me?"

"Like what?"

"Well, like why you were staring at me earlier today, for instance."

"…"

"And I don't mean when I got my eye back."

"…"

While the blonde waited for the ravens silence to end, he shivered. It was _still_ _really cold. _Why didn't Kurogane find this cold? The fact that the male was shirtless was almost irritating…It was _too_ cold…

The samurai sat up, still not answering. He pulled back the covers a bit, and scooted over. Fai got up, and climbed under the covers, the two of them lying back down. Fai snuggled up against Kurogane's side.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"For what?" Kurogane had no idea.

"Everything," Fai breathed, his eyes closed. The raven looked down to his face, curious.

"For all those times during our journey, where you put my safety before your own. For all of those times where you could have very easily have let me die, and you didn't. For seeking revenge when you thought we'd died in Outo Country…"

"Why do you remember that?"

"Because I thought it was sweet…And there's also the fact that you looked right past Syaoran to me. I was waving and calling out your nickname…You looked so angry, but _seemed_ to be relieved."

Kurogane's arm tightened around his form,

"I _was_ relieved. I'd thought you'd _died_."

"I know," and here the blonde paused.

In his mind, he was back in Tokyo. Where he had tried to stop everyone from saving his life. Where he had half-pleaded for them to let him _bleed_ to death. He snuggled himself closer to Kurogane,

"Kergs?"

"Yeah?" "Thank you…For what you did…In Tokyo…"

"…I didn't want you to die. I couldn't _let _you. You were pissed off when you finally woke back up again."

"I was in the wrong in that scenario. A part of me didn't want to die, because I knew who I'd leave behind. My friends…_You_…Another part of me might always wish for death…And you've never allowed it. You didn't in Tokyo, and you didn't in Celes, either," Fai's hand touched Kurogane's left shoulder. He kept the touch light as he traced what went from being the flesh of a human, to something that wasn't _human_ at all.

"You gave that up for me," he murmured.

"You were so _willing_ to have me leave you behind. I didn't want that as your final image. Me abandoning you. I couldn't live with myself, if that was the last thing you saw."

"…You weren't happy…When I made the trade," Fai remembered. He'd given up his magic to Yuuko, in exchange for the arm that was now bound to Kurogane's stub of a shoulder.

"I didn't want you sacrificing things, when you've been losing things all of your life. I don't know details to you, Fai. All I know is that you lost a lot more than anyone ever should, before we met you."

"Didn't you? Yuuko said they killed your Mother."

"…They did. They killed her. I was still pretty young…And then a demon came back…Carrying my Father's sword in its mouth…With his hand still attached to it. They'd turned him to stone and shattered him into hundreds of pieces. As soon as I unsheathed that sword…That's when they were done for."

"You killed all of them yourself?"

"My Mother had died with her eyes open. In my minds eye, I was protecting her…Even though a part of me knew she was already gone. I tried to deny it. It worked long enough for me to kill those demons. Long enough for Tomoyo to get to me, and close my Mother's eyes. She's probably the only person, who's ever really seen me cry."

"It's hard for me to picture you crying."

"I don't cry."

"You keep everything bottled up inside of you. You're just as bad as I am."

"Che."

Fai wondered something, as he opened his eyes to study the samurais face. Kurogane was slightly surprised that the male had opened his eyes again.

"Kergs…Can I ask something personal?"

"I guess so."

"…What did your parents look like?"

The ravens eyes grew for a moment, but his expression relaxed again as Fai kissed him swiftly, but gently. The blonde murmured that if it was too personal, then the raven didn't have to tell him. He also apologized for bringing up memories.

"Idiot," Kurogane murmured,

"You just took me by surprise, calm down already…And to answer your question, I'm a spitting image of my Father."

"…Really?" Fai studied the ravens face once again. So, Kurogane looked like his Father…What did his Mother look like then?

"…As for my Mother…Well, I guess I can explain how she looks fairly easily too. She looks like the adult version of Tomoyo."

Fai gasped.

'_Well that would explain a lot…He's so __**protective**__ of her…And __**now**__ I see __**why. **__His Mother was murdered, and he had no way of saving her. But with Tomoyo, it's as though he can make up, for his Mother's death…By protecting someone who looks so much like her…'_

"…Do you mind me asking the same question?"

"…" The blonde wasn't sure how to explain his parents. He looked like his Father in some ways…With the hair colour and style, the eyes - the unmistakable eyes…And he and his Mother were that same pale colour. He also had some of her expressions in his face…Some of the feminineness he had gotten from her features.

"In a way…You've seen my Mother."

"What…?"

"She looks like…Chii."

Kurogane remembered when Fai had gone on that "date," with the Chii of one of the worlds that they had traveled to. He hadn't seemed romantically interested really…But it had still been unbearable for the raven when Fai had been hugging the girl. He'd kept his eyes closed.

"So…Whatever wasn't a part of Chii…The rest would be your Father?"

"Yes. Same hair colour, same style - my old style. The eyes…"

Kurogane kissed the blondes forehead gently.

"Kuro-puu?"

"Hm?"

"Teach me to say something…In your language," Fai's voice was so full of curiosity.

"Hm…Aishiteru."

"I she what?" Fai questioned, confused. Kurogane chuckled a little at the blondes expression,

"Ai - shi - teru."

"Ai…Shi…Teru?"

"Mm-hm, all as one word."

Fai tried it,

"Aishiteru."

Kurogane smiled,

"There. You got it."

Fai grinned at his miniature victory. But then confusion swept over his face again,

"What did I just say to you?"

Kurogane kept the smile on his face,

"You really think I'm going to tell you?"

"Oh please Kuro-puu! What did I just say?"

"…Something," the males cheeks were pink, clearing his throat, he changed the subject,

"What about you? Why don't you teach me something?"

"Hmm…" The blonde didn't think about it long. Trying to keep his cheeks from turning pink, he looked to his raven and announced,

"Je t'aime."

"Je…Something," Kurogane replied,

"Say that again."

"Je t'aime," Fai said it slowly this time.

"Je t'aime," the raven answered, hoping he got it right. Fai beamed, so the samurai sighed, relieved.

"Now, what the hell did I just say to you?"

"Ah-ah-ahh~! If _I_ don't get to know what _I_ said, then why should _you_ get to know what _you_ said?"

"…Because I can kick you onto the floor?" Kurogane suggested. Fai narrowed his eyes,

"Well, that's a bit _harsh, _don't you think so? Maybe I'll just go back to my own bed then," he teased, trying to move. The samurais grip was so gentle - as if he was afraid he would hurt the blonde - and yet so powerful - Fai could hardly move.

Fai glared.

"Ohhh, you're so scary," Kurogane's voice provoked the blonde, but he chuckled, and kissed the blondes forehead,

"You can't guess?" He murmured against the skin, before he pulled his face away, turning his head to avoid that blue eyed gaze. Fai's cheeks burned,

"I think we just taught each other how to say the same thing in two different languages," he whispered.

Kurogane smiled,

"Well, if that's the case then…Je t'aime."

"Aishiteru."

Something about the way Fai said the word tugged at Kurogane's heartstrings. He pulled the blonde into a kiss. Their lips began to move in synchronization…The kisses were sweet, and…

This was how things were supposed to be. He knew that now. He hoped that the blonde saw the same thing that he did. Saw how much he needed him…How much they needed _each other…_

"Kergs?" Fai whispered, pulling out of their kiss, in a rather reluctant fashion. The raven studied the blue eyes that he was so familiar with.

"What is it?"

"I have something else to thank you for."

"…"

"Thank you…For this Christmas…You gave me the greatest gift of them all," he told him gently.

"And what would that be?"

"…I got you…"

"…Fai…" Kurogane breathed the name, pulling the male back into a kiss. He was going to show him just _how much _he meant to him. He was going to teach him that love did exist…_Could exist_…And _didn't_ have to be the cause of _pain._

He was going to treat him like he was the most precious human being on the planet. Because in Kurogane's eyes…

…_That's __**exactly**__ what Fai happened to be._

**(A.N: OKAY! DONE!! Finally!!!! Alright, ****so I know that whole speaking in other languages thing, probably couldn't happen, because of Mokona, but you know what? Too bad****…Because I'm writing this, so I used my amazing…Writer…Magic…To make it happen! -Hand movements- Also, ****when Kurogane is saying the whole, "snore, snore, snore, see?" bit…He's actually saying the word SNORE, he isn't making the noise. ****And I'm glad this is finally done…It took me FOREVER! I'm still sick, which sucks, but I wanted to finish this, so I hope you guys like it! Please R&R? I love you guys for it!)**


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